Tofu Recipes

It's Meatless Monday and we're going to be celebrating the Asian Lunar New Year in about 2 weeks. It's the perfect occasion to show you our family's favorite: tofu stir fry. For this version, I sauteed shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and roasted chestnuts. The chestnuts have a mealy texture that's very satisfying and filling, which is great when you're on a vegetarian diet. I'll be taking the proverbial plunge from the day before the New Year through the day after (there is a tradition of abstaining from meat during this period for the New Year).

I just came home from West Hollywood after promoting my second cookbook Banh Mi during the Golden Globes presentation. I also shared my pandan cookies, and guess what? I'm not big on bragging but everyone adored my signature cookies and the Banh Mi cookbook! I've shared and will share a few photos of the event on my social media channels.

I'm going to be posting several Thanksgiving-inspired dishes in the next few weeks. Turkey is, for obvious reasons central to the Thanksgiving meal, but if you're a vegetarian like my husband Lulu, Thanksgiving is also synonymous with many other dishes. I'll share them with you but since it's Monday, I'm going to continue to support the Meatless Monday campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet.

Tofurkey is a great meat substitute for the holiday. Making your own faux turkey isn't that complicated. I prepared a chickpea and crouton filling. I used thin lemon grass stalks to resemble the turkey legs and wrapped the whole thing in tofu skin. I cooked the tofurkey legs with fried tofu pieces and white cabbage. The glazing of maple syrup and soy sauce completed this tasty dish. This homemade meat-substitute is not only delicious but also packed with protein.

During our trip to Paris, my husband Lulu indulged in many cheeses and French desserts. Now that we're back home, we're back to healthier meals. In keeping with that spirit, I prepared a tofu dish with young bamboo shoots, carrots, baby corn and cucumbers.

Fresh bamboo shoots provide a meaty, slightly crunchy texture and incredible subtle flavor to the dish. If you happen to find this unusual ingredient fresh at your local Asian grocery store, be sure to give it a try.

This tofu stir fry dish is a staple in our home and I make it at least once a month. It's quick to prepare, flavorful and packed with fresh green vegetables. I pan-fried tofu pieces and tossed them with onions and zucchini slices in a thick sauce (I used tapioca starch as the thickening agent).

My parents are excited to spend time with little Aria this month; they haven't seen her since she was 11 months old. I've been so busy these past few days wrapping up work and packing for our trip to Paris, that I completely forgot about picking our vegetables. There have been beautiful zucchini waiting to be harvested and I was so excited to be able to cook with them. So it was a real bummer this morning when I found wilted, unusable zucchini flowers. I still harvested the large zucchini and prepared it with tofu. It's not an elaborate meal but it's tasty and nutritious.

Yesterday, we had a lot of relatives over and after dinner there was leftover steamed jasmine rice. I wasn't going to let the rice go to waste; I usually make cơm chiên chay ("vegetarian fried rice" in Vietnamese). That way my husband Lulu and his sisters who are all vegetarians, can make it disappear!

I also happily discovered that baby Aria absolutely loves fried rice. I’m thrilled because this dish is super easy to prepare. Once you know the tricks to keep the rice from turning soggy and mushy, you can make it as often as it pleases you, with whatever veggies you have on hand.

For this version, I mixed carrots, peas, corn, red and green bell peppers, green onions and diced fried tofu with the jasmine rice. I didn't add any egg so the rest of the family could enjoy it as well.

As a child, Maman would always tell us kids not waste food; it's "tội chết" ("dreadfully sinful" in Vietnamese). As an Asian mom, I'm definitely keeping the family "tradition" and teacingh the same ethic to my daughter Aria.